Shirt collector

Raphi is Salzburg’s soccer superfan

Noble fan of the Bulls: Raphael Schwarz.(Bild: Kronen Zeitung/Andreas Tröster)

A permanent guest at training and relentless jersey collector: Raphael Schwarz explains his great love for FC Red Bull Salzburg to the "Krone" and reveals his favorite players in the ranks of the Austrian runners-up.

When it comes to Salzburg's supporters, you can't get past him: Raphael Schwarz is a noble fan of the Bulls!

The 16-year-old comes to Taxham in all weathers to watch his heroes train. It goes without saying that he has a season ticket at the stadium. How did he come to the Bulls? "Through my dad," grins the schoolboy. He has a lot of powers of persuasion. He has already persuaded his mom to let him study in Taxham. "For business administration," grins Raphi.

Raphi (center) with Kevin Kampl (left) and Alan.(Bild: Kronen Zeitung/Andreas Tröster)

He is also convincing when it comes to the players. A total of 42 jerseys adorn the noble fan's room - from Adamu to Pavlovic, from Adeyemi to Kjaergaard. The special feature: Almost all of them are gifts from the players, who have also signed the shirts. "If you leave them hanging outside for a few days, they don't smell any more," grins Walser.

Favorite player Adamu
His favorite players? "Amar Dedic and Leo Morgalla at the moment. And then there's Mads Bidstrup, my mom thinks he's cool too," he explains. Junior Adamu stands out among the former players. He even sent him a personal message when he left for Freiburg, thanking him for his great support. "Sometimes we also play against each other on the PlayStation," reports Raphi. His penchant seems to be contagious, with his friend Diego also dedicated to collecting players' jerseys.

What does Raphael expect for the game at Real Madrid on Wednesday? "I think it will be very difficult. I'm therefore predicting a 0:4 from Salzburg's point of view."